Lose Weight
If you’re a beginner, start with a circuit routine in which you do 10 to 12 exercises one after the other, 10 to 15 repetitions per set, with little or no rest in between. Do two or three circuits.
If you’re more advanced, try supersets. In these, you do two exercises back-to-back, rest 60 seconds, and then repeat once or twice. There are many ways to do supersets, but for fat loss, I’d like to see you use as much muscle as possible. One way is to pair exercises that work completely different muscles, such as squats and seated rows.
Build muscle: For most men, I recommend exercises that allow you to do eight to 12 repetitions per set. You can do them as straight sets-complete a set, rest about 60 seconds, do the next set of the same thing, and keep going that way until you’ve finished all your sets and are ready to move on to the next exercise.
If you have more experience, try super sets, but not the way you did them for fat loss. Pair synergistic exercises-two moves that work the same muscles. Usually, the first is a compound move to work a lot of muscles, the second a single-joint exercise to focus on one large muscle. So barbell bench presses might be followed by dumbbell flies. Shoulder presses could lead in to lateral raises.
Gain strength
There’s no secret here-heavy weights, low repetitions (usually three to five per set for the most important moves, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses), and longer rest (up to 4 minutes) between sets. You don’t have to do every exercise this way, of course. Start with low reps on your main moves, then do more repetitions with lighter weights and shorter rest periods on less important ones.
Power Push-ups
Your goal: 10-15 repetitions of each. Focus on proper technique: Straight back, tight stomach and butt, continuous movement and full extension of the arms.
- Standard Pushups: Lie face down on the floor with your palms at shoulder level, fingers pointing forward. Push yourself up until your body weight rests only on your palms and toes. Lower yourself and repeat. To accent the chest, place your hands wider than shoulder-width; to target the back and triceps, bring your hands close together with thumbs and index fingers touching.
- Incline Pushups: Stand facing a wall, about 2-3 feet away, arms straight out in front of you. Touch the wall with palms flat and support your weight. Slowly lower your chest to the wall., keeping your knees and back straight. Push back out and repeat.
- Decline Pushups: Support your body weight on your arms and elevate both feet behind you on an exercise bench or a chair. Keep your knees locked and your back straight as you lower your chest to the floor and push back up. Repeat.
- Chair Dips: Place two benches or chairs of equal seat height shoulder-width apart. Kneel behind them, place one hand flat on each seat, and extend your legs behind you so your weight is evenly supported by your arms and feet. Lower your upper body just below the level of the seats, or as low as you can without pain. Hold for a second, then raise yourself back to the starting position. Repeat.
- Bent-knee Pushups: (This is a tough one. Warm up your muscles first and concentrate on your technique.) Keeping your back straight, support yourself on your knees and palms. Your arms should be straight and shoulder-width apart. Slowly lower your upper body to the floor, keeping your trunk straight. Rise back to the starting position and repeat.